Teenager Zach (Dylan Minnette) and his mother move to a new house in a small town after his father dies. The next door neighbors are strange, with a big "no trespassing" sign and a huge fence around the property. This is where Hannah and her odd father, Stine (Jack Black) live.

This Stine turns out to be the famous author of kids horror books-and he has the ability to make them come to life if any of the original story books are opened. Of course, this happens, and it's up to Zach, Hannah and Stine to put all the creatures back. The first released is a talking mannequin, which is evil, and it unleashes other creatures upon the town, which include a cool looking Yeti and a giant spider. There's a lot of great CGI special effects. This is an entertaining, if forgettable, paint-by-the-numbers kid horror movie.